Domestic abuse charges against Pasco commissioner dropped

DADE CITY -
Pasco Commission Chairman Ted Schrader has been cleared of domestic abuse charges that led to his arrest on Super Bowl Sunday.
Assistant State Attorney Manny Garcia said his office has declined to prosecute the four-term commissioner “based on state attorney’s investigation and the sworn statement of the victim.”
He said State Attorney Bernie McCabe “has reviewed the report and is in agreement.”
Schrader, 57, faced a single count of domestic battery. He spent the night of Feb. 3 in the Pasco County Jail after an argument the day before with his wife turned physical.

Julia Schrader told investigators her husband had grabbed her while she was still in bed, causing bruising on her arm. She asked the judge to impose a no-contact bond, which meant Schrader could not return to the home the couple shares. That order was lifted Wednesday afternoon when the Clerk of Court’s office officially closed the case.
Clerk of Court Paula O’Neil said there were no injunctions filed against Schrader that would prevent him from going home.
The Schraders have been married 30 years and have three grown children.
Ted Schrader and his twin brother, Terry, come from a family with a distinguished political pedigree. The family is well-known in east Pasco. On their mother’s side of the family tree, they are fifth-generation Pasco residents. Their grandfather was a county commissioner, and a long stretch of State Road 52 is named “Schrader Memorial Highway” after him.
Ted Schrader served three terms as a city commissioner in San Antonio before seeking a seat on the county commission in 1996.
Schrader’s arrest marked the first time in more than 30 years a sitting Pasco commissioner was arrested. Former Commission Chairman Barry Doyle was charged with bribery while in office in 1982 and served time in prison.
Schrader issued a public apology to his wife and colleagues during the Feb. 5 commission meeting. He told the Tribune he was relieved the meeting was the morning after he posted bond, forcing him to make a public appearance. “It’s better to get it over with,” he said. “That way people didn’t have a week to speculate on whether or not I’d show up.”
Schrader declined comment on Wednesday. There was never any question he would continue to serve as chairman while he worked to resolve the legal matter. Fellow commissioners did not press him to step down.